The Department for Transport (DfT) has unveiled its ‘strategic vision for rail’... and as you’d expect, the 43 page document is full of jargon.

There’s talk of a ‘railway renaissance', ‘ambitious modernisation’ and calls for the 'evolution, not revolution' of train travel.

But behind all that jargon, what does the report actually mean for Leeds commuters?

We've broken down all the half-promises and gobbledygook to tell you what the report actually says about rail travel in and around Leeds...

The TransPennine route

What they say: "Our ambitions for the planned upgrade to the TransPennine route from Leeds to Manchester are an example of strengthening connections, dramatically increasing the number of seats and reducing journey times.

"Despite the historic scale of our current plans, the expansions we are completing now will not be enough to meet the future demand for capacity, and our ambitions to connect our communities."

What they mean: "It’s already not good enough and it isn’t even finished yet."

Network Rail are currently upgrading bridges, tunnels and tracks and installing overhead line equipment so electric trains can use the route.

However this isn’t going to be enough to meet demand so won’t make a difference to people travelling on the route. Great.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel though.

In October, the DfT announced it would be scrapping pacer trains on the Manchester to Leeds route, and making it the first digitally controlled intercity in the UK as part of a £13bn investment.

When finished the journey time between the two cities will be just 40 minutes, but work won’t even begin until 2022.

PPicture shows a 319 train, similar to those which will be modified by Northern (Image: Northern Rail)

Commuting

What they say: "Overcrowding on the busiest services is an increasing issue. Today, Britain has some of the most congested and intensively used railway lines in Europe. Rising demand is putting significant pressure on the railway infrastructure.

"Because of the importance of rail for employment and travel to work, we are funding significant new rail capacity for many major cities and towns. Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool and Newcastle will all benefit from new carriages, new services and extra peak capacity in the coming years."

What they mean: "Commuting in and to major cities like Leeds is a nightmare because all the services are so busy. So so busy.

"Small trains are constantly overcrowded and it’s only getting worse as more and more people look to commute by rail."

There’s a vague promise here of new carriages and extra trains, but most commuters will believe that when they see it.

New train stations

What they say: "Plans are also being developed for four new stations in the West Yorkshire area - Elland, Thorpe Park, White Rose and Leeds Bradford International Airport Parkway.

"All need further development, and as with all schemes will need to demonstrate a strong business case where they are seeking any available government funding."

What they mean: "There’s some ideas for new train stations floating about, but West Yorkshire will have to fight for funding.

"If you want government cash, you’ll have to work for it and prove that people will use that route and it will boost the economy of the area.

"And West Yorkshire will be up against other areas, so there’s no guarantees any of these will come off."

Kirkstall Forge Train Station. (Image: Simon Morley)

WiFi on trains

What they say: "On-train Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity today suffers from a lack of reliable, continuous and high speed connectivity, constrained by aspects of the railway network, such as tunnels and deep cuttings.

"We are committed to improving Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity to passengers, in line with our manifesto commitment.

"We are therefore working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on new telecoms technology for the railways.

"This includes consulting on commercial options to improve mobile communications, and investing up to £35 million to enable trials, including installing trackside infrastructure along the Trans-Pennine route between Manchester, Leeds and York, and supporting the roll out of full-fibre and 5G networks along the rail corridor."

What they mean: "Train Wi-Fi is rubbish and it’s hard to get signal on a moving train, and that’s why your Spotify always freezes when you go through a tunnel.

"The DfT wants to fix this, but doesn't really know how to so are fobbing the problem off onto the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport... sorry, 'working together' with them.

"It’ll cost a whopping £35m just to test out better signal and Wi-Fi, but luckily for Leeds the Transpennine route is where it will be tested out, so we’ll be the first to enjoy that super fast 5G for listening to music and reading the news on the train without the frustration of buffering.

"If it works that is..."

Leeds Train Station. (Image: Simon Morley)

Long distance journeys

What they say: "Recent franchises have included longer trains on Northern Rail, West Midlands, South West, Southern and Thameslink.

"New Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains have begun to replace the ageing High Speed Train fleet, bringing improved services and additional capacity between London and major UK cities including Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

"In the coming decade we will be expanding the network, selecting routes that benefit housing and economic growth, relieve urban congestion and meet future demand."

What they mean: "Newer and bigger trains are being introduced on long distance routes already (e.g. between Leeds and London). And over the next ten years there will be more - and bigger trains - on busy routes that connect cities.

"The DfT says by 2021, there will be more than 5,500 new carriages on the UK’s rail network, and an average of 17 carriages are being built every week between now and 2020."